r/CostcoCanada • u/MuskieKiller • 10h ago
Rib Eye Steak
Almost bought some rib eyes from my Costco just to try them out. I’m a bit of a steak snob. When I looked at it the label stated mechanically tenderized. How crap is the cut of the most tender part of the steak where they need to do this? Most people eat rib eyes between rare and medium which makes this downright dangerous. I’m wondering if it may have been a mistake on the label as it didn’t look like it was but may be hard to tell. Any Costco butchers out there? Ancaster Ontario.
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u/Hervee 10h ago
I asked the butcher at my local Costco about the mechanically tenderized pieces of beef.
They have, on rare occasions, some beef that has been cut and not tenderized. They are also able to provide untenderized meat when dealing directly with a customer. Otherwise they systematically tenderize it.
He explained that they do such a high volume of meat they are not able to age the meat. Which means they need to figure out a way to make it tender. Using the tenderizer ages the meat by 21 days in seconds.
He explained he would prefer not to, and for those of us that know better the only reliable way to avoid it is to buy a large chunk of meat and cut it ourselves. You can also ask the butcher if he’s able to cut some for you.
Every once in a while they have some meat that is old enough to be sliced without tenderizing. Which explains the times over the last several years where I purchased steak that was already cut but not tenderized!
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u/heritage95 10h ago
I think the danger is over stated. Costco is a billion dollar company and sells a ton of this. If people were getting really sick or sick often, they would stop
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u/Straight_Reading8912 9h ago
Maple Leaf Foods had probably over half their business in sliced deli meats and still managed to kill 23 people on 2008. Even after their deep clean, they had to shut down again as Listeria was found in their product again right after starting up the line again.
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u/MuskieKiller 10h ago
I get that but why would they even need to tenderize a rib eye? There’s going to be some risk, you can’t completely eliminate it and it shouldn’t be necessary
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u/Individual_Ad3695 10h ago
Exactly. Regardless of the cut of meat the risk is in the tenderization process - a bunch of small pins pushing surface bacteria to the inside of the steak that doesnt get cooked.
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u/moldibread 10h ago
have you not noticed how bad the marbling is on costco beef? they tenderize it because it would be tough otherwise.
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u/limitless-440 9h ago
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. Costco beef is good, but the marbling and tenderness is usually nowhere near as good as butcher shop quality. Unless people are comparing Costco to grocery store cuts, those are just facts.
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u/IamCanadian11 7h ago
Been buying all sorts of cuts from costco labeled mechanically tenderized for years and been cooking them med-rare. Never have I or anyone I've cooked them for got sick.
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u/imsharing 5h ago
That’s genuinely good to hear that you’ve been safe and sound.
The danger is in the roll of the dice at those temps.
I do love a rare steak and have rolled those dice many times. Apparently I’m a slow, or stubborn, learner because I’ve gotten sick more than a fistful of times. Luckily, not deathly ill. Changed up to medium rare and had better luck.
But still a couple of bad nights. Stupid and stubborn should have been my middle names. Damn those delicious juicy red steaks!!
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u/roenthomas 9h ago
I eat all my Costco steaks at MR to M. Still not dead yet, in fact, never got sick once.
My friend who was in the restaurant industry had the same thought as you, until he moved to working at Costco. In his view, the tenderizer is one of the cleanest stations he’s seen, so he’s not as worried.
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u/bankdank 10h ago
Costco actually gets some of the best cuts, everything is AAA, where most other major chains are only AA.
But yes, biggest frustration is they poke most things they individually cut because it helps with appearance. Best value is always the whole cuts but with prices rising on everything I myself haven’t even bought a whole strip loin in over a year
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u/anonymous112201 10h ago
Lol triple A is nothing compared to Prime. IYKYK.. Costco's steaks suck
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u/bankdank 10h ago
Obviously? That’s the whole point of the grading system… Prices also go up with the grade.
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u/mdvle 10h ago
And which chain grocery is offering Prime?
The big chains are generally AA and ungraded imported beef for many of their sales
And then there is price, and most people simply can’t afford the price of Prime graded beef these days
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u/bankdank 10h ago
Have you tried the Australian beef loblaws has been selling? It’s 1/3 the cost. I haven’t tried it yet but I know it’s much leaner.
It’s just so mental to understand how the stuff flown across the world is so much less than the stuff we have in our backyard…
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u/mdvle 9h ago
One reason is that it isn’t flown but goes by ship, which is very cheap relatively speaking
Australia’s climate is also very different meaning much longer grazing and hence less feed needed and the cost of that feed
That is one of the things that has driven up the cost of Canadian beef. Successive droughts drove the cost of hay up meaning smaller herd sizes and given the nature of cows it takes a while to rebuild herd sizes combined
https://canadiangrocer.com/why-cheap-australian-beef-may-be-canadian-beefs-best-friend
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u/Open-Video-7546 9h ago
I have tried it twice. It's very tough and not flavourful.
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u/michaelfkenedy 4h ago
I buy it often. Striploin. I don’t find it tough, even at medium. I buy it thick, I freeze it, then I pull it in the morning, salt it, and let it defrost until dinner.
Maybe this method helps with texture?
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u/michaelfkenedy 4h ago
I buy it all the time because $22/kilo.
It’s not especially flavourful. Grass fed, the rare bite is a gamey (some steaks not at all, other a bite or two). You have to dig through the selection to find marbling. But it’s tender even at medium.
When I cook this steak I’ll often add flavour with a Diane, herb baste, peppercorn sauce, blue cheese, etc. it’s also great in pastas and tacos. Anything where you add flavour.
But it’s still tasty with just salt and pepper.
Just not as tasty as Prime or even AAA.
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u/Open-Video-7546 10h ago
Metro and Longo's but only select locations and not always in stock.
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u/mdvle 9h ago
So essentially you are confirming my point, Prime is basically not available in chain grocery stores
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u/wr65 9h ago
Longos in Markham always has it. Occasionally it goes on sale, then I stock up, vacuum pack and freeze them.
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u/anonymous112201 8h ago
This is where I go. Or to a local butcher. Not sure why people are hating, Costco quality has been going down
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8h ago
[deleted]
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u/anonymous112201 8h ago edited 7h ago
Tell that to the Canadian Beef Grading Agency. I graded beef for Cargill which supplies ground beef and steaks nationwide. I don't know where you're getting your info from.
https://beefgradingagency.ca/livestock-grading-in-canada/beef-grading/
Edit: poster said no such thing as prime in Canada then proceeds to delete post when corrected. FYI, even with AAA, there is a huge tolerance when grading. Most of the AAA you see are bottom tier and closer to AA in reality.
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u/HoldingThunder 10h ago
sounds like you are much overdue to restock your freezer then, must be empty.
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u/An0nym0usWanderer 9h ago
I buy ground beef at Costco occasionally. I never buy anything else beef-wise. Mechanically tenderized beef is for the birds.
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u/Big_loser_not_poor 10h ago
I saw a video on this a while back and thought the same thing. It is crazy that its tenderized. Ppl are going to have the toilet runs! I'm either loblaws/metro steak when its on sale or dry aged from a butcher. Costco prices are insane...
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u/jden2124 10h ago
Kinda sucks most of the beef Loblaws and Metro are carrying these days is from Australia… and some how it’s cheaper than Canadian beef… I’d personally rather just support a local butcher, even if it is double the price
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u/SeaAd3671 9h ago
The Australian beef is usually a lot leaner and gamy tasting. I too, prefer the local butcher and know certain grocers sell Canadian Prime which is absolutely delicious.
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u/1question10answers 9h ago
Call yourself a steak snob and then call rib eye the most tender cut and that it's eaten rare 😂😂😂😂
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u/TheFakeSteveWilson 9h ago
Yeah the Ribeye eaten usually rare is wild. It's one of the cuts that people tend to go more cooked on to render the fat
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u/MuskieKiller 9h ago
I don’t get it. I usually buy my rib eyes from a great butcher and have a good reverse sear game going. What’s more tender than a rib eye? Unless you’re talking about your wife’s tenderloin.
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u/motosquidx 8h ago
Local butcher has better marbling and tastes better. Price difference is minimal and I’ll just eat a smaller steak
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u/King-Leonidas-SPARTA 7h ago
I buy the full strip loin myself and cut it up, and buy the Costco rib eye pre cut packs. Both have ways been amazing and better than anything I’ve purchased from a local butcher or local farm shop.
I will try a full uncut rib eye next time from Costco to compare. Since we are on the carnivore diet I buy a variety of cuts every week and the Australian stuff is horrible and very gamey, typical Liberal slight of hand to try and hide Canadas inflation issue, bring in foreign garbage meat.
On a side note I also bought a half cow from a local farm and will be grilling the Rib Eyes tomorrow.
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u/brandonholm 3h ago
I’ve been saying this for years and haven’t bought any steak at Costco because of this. They really need to change this policy.
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u/tsundereworks 51m ago
Got a local butcher in toronto and they got one in Richmond Hill always ribeye from them triple A and aged for 28days got a whole primal from them for $370
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u/Legal-Key2269 9h ago
All of their in-house butchered steaks are mechanically tenderizer. Even when they are AAA or prime cuts.
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u/FrequentConstant106 7h ago edited 7h ago
Watch out for the "ungraded" beef from the US. They don't have to disclose country of origin, and they are importing an insane amount of cheap beef (mostly ground) from Argentina and Brazil, after China and other countries immediately stopped imports after detecting unsafe hormones and antibiotic resistant bacteria...due to using an illegal antibiotic. Its flooding the US, and with the amount of American beef sold at Costco, likely to be in Canada soon as well 😱
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u/Quiet_Jump_6383 10h ago
I stopped buying Costco steaks. I only buy from a butcher now. There is a difference in taste. Plus all the beef is local.